


July 2019

by ArtisticVicu



Series: Monthly Prompt Writings [23]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Anthropomorphic, Big bad may not be all bad, Crash Landing, F/M, Gen, Hero Organization, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Original Character(s), Trans Male Character, family ties, multiple stories, plot to overthrow the tyrant king, space travellers to planet dwellers, unexpected love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:26:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23419714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtisticVicu/pseuds/ArtisticVicu
Summary: Every chapter is a different story.Chapter 1:Akurois a form of the soul one is able to shift into. Some have manykuro, others do not. There are laws in place sokuroare suppressed.But Polaris doesn't feel right in thekurohe was born in and when suppressedkuroare suddenly forced into place, he can't help but celebrate.If only it hadn't been at the hand of a villain.Chapter 2:The landing wasn't graceful but it was the type of crash landing families could walk away from. As the Captain works to make sure everyone has the chance to get to safety in case things weren't as lucky as they seemed, there's a stronger pull to make sure what he had left of his family survived what may come, their history be damned.Chapter 3:In a last ditch effort to give the resistance more time, she becomes Lady Ryn and he her guard. Together they infiltrate a ball in an attempt to woo Prince Vanell long enough to get close to the tyrant King - or delay the King long enough for the resistance to gain more support, whichever came first. Only challenge would be to get Prince Vanell to fall in love with Lady Ryn. Right?
Relationships: knight/prince - Relationship
Series: Monthly Prompt Writings [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1684405
Kudos: 1





	1. Black hole sun

A low rumble filled the air and the ground beneath his feet trembled. Bewildered, he glanced at his brother but gained no gaze in return. His brother was already looking towards the source of the sound. Another low rumble rolled past them, the ground quaking beneath them with greater force as his other brother stepped up to his other side. Together, the three of them watched as something large miles away rose into the air only to come back down. The subsequent rumble and quake made him think whatever it was, was hitting the ground with tremendous force. Repeatedly.  
  
"Solaris, can you make it out?" he asked. He certainly couldn't.  
  
The younger of his brothers shook his head. "Luran?"  
  
The older brother pulled off his glasses, cleaning them. "Not enough to make out what's going on."  
  
Another rumble.  
  
The quake that followed shook the ground hard and plenty of things got dislodged. A number of the bystanders that had exited their homes in search of the noise were knocked off their feet. He surprisingly kept his foothold.  
  
A sharp wind slammed into him and an all too familiar chill ran down his spine. Immediately his hand went to the top of his head but he knew what would be there long before his fingers buried themselves in the thick mane he now sported. His gaze drifted right and found the older brother's appearance had changed from a lion to some sort of reptile. His brother was staring at his scaled hands with a look of concentration as if he was trying to will the _kuro_ back into the depths of his soul. Turning his gaze from his now scaly brother, he focused on his other brother to see that feathers had replaced fur and those eyes were now honed in on the source of the chaos without any outward show of concern for the forced _kuro_ shift.  
  
All around them were shouts and cries of confusion as the _kuro_ that many had suppressed – be it to keep themselves safe or due to the strict laws in place – had been brought into existence.  
  
"Solaris?" he asked, voice quaking but with what, he couldn't tell. There were too many things and far too many emotions that he was choking on them. No longer a lioness but a lion, able to be in the _kuro_ he had desperately wanted to live in but couldn't, it was like a bitter dream he didn't want to have disappear. "What do you see?"  
  
"Trouble." His brother's gaze flicked to the other brother. "How sure are you on your wings, Luran?"  
  
Those leather wings spread wide, stretching their full length. "As sure as you are on yours."  
  
The brothers grinned at each other as Solaris opened his own wings. Those eyes still ever his brother's focused on him. "You able to keep up, sis?"  
  
His grin was sharp. "I'll be right behind you."  
  
Solaris nodded.  
  
It was easy for him to coax his _kuro_ to trade places with a different one and he felt the muscles in his body stretch and move in a way he hadn't been able to feel in far too long. With all four paws on the ground, he stretched a bit before shaking himself. Even in this _kuro_ he could tell that the lioness one he had been born into was no longer in his reach, regardless of whether it was bipedal or not. He turned his gaze to the trouble who knew how far away and dug in.  
  
"Let's go," Luran called out and Polaris kicked off.  
  
He felt the brush of both winds kicked up by his brothers' wings and he knew that both had raced after him looking for lift.  
  
They found it at the same time, the wind from their down strokes buffeting him from either side till they were too high for their wind to reach him.  
  
His paws hit pavement and he dug in harder, giving himself to the sensation of running as hard and as fast as he could using every muscle in his body to keep himself moving forward. Luran and Solaris settled far enough ahead of him that he could keep an eye on them without looking away from where he was running. Another rumbled and he kept running through the quake, grateful and mildly impressed with himself that he hadn't been tripped up by the shifting earth. His brothers slowed as if worried but he kept going, kept pushing forward.  
  
The rumble's tone was still low but it was loud enough that he felt it just as much as he heard it and this time the ground rolled, the streets breaking as buildings toppled and he leapt from one wave crest to the next, his brothers coming in to aid him as they could. The closer they got to the source of the whole mess, the more clearly they could see what was going on and it was making the hair on his back stand upright in fury.  
  
Luran dived in first belching fire at what lay in Polaris's way. Solaris was right behind him, talons sharp and well-aimed as they dug into the creatures that were getting between them and their target.  
  
Polaris dived through the mess, eyes wildly searching for the figure he and his brothers had seen.  
  
The ground beneath his feet quaked savagely as the section of earth rose again. The piece was massive and it was all Polaris could do to keep his foothold as he found himself on the piece of earth rising into the sky.  
  
"Laris!"  
  
He turned, seamlessly shifting to his biped form and with sure feet, he wrapped his arms tightly around the body that slammed into his. His feet left shallow gouges in the earth from the force of the catch and as he came to a stop, he took a step back and spun, flinging the body in his arms skyward and farther into the center of the top of the mass. The little fluff ball of a body shot through the air with a squeal of laughter, before their _kuro_ gave way to one incredibly larger. The earth that was smoothly rising into the air quaked beneath him as the massive _kuro_ punched the ground, splitting the massive piece of earth into several pieces.  
  
Polaris kicked off racing towards the center of the mass as that massive _kuro_ changed again. Two new bodies landed on either side of him and kept pace with him, both ready for a fight.  
  
"Who we up against, Laris?" the one on his right demanded, his code name rolling off their tongue with habitual ease.  
  
"Kyor."  
  
The two bodies jerked to a stop and he skidded to a halt, spinning in the motion enough to be facing them when his body stopped moving. They were both giving him looks they didn't have time to deal with. He straightened, stating plainly, "If you can't keep a clear head, you don't have to stick around. You are more than welcome to leave this fight to me and the others."  
  
"Do they know?" the one that had been on his left asked.  
  
"Solar and Lunar are aware," he appeased, wondering briefly if his brothers were aware of his and each other's code names. "I don't know who else knows."  
  
"Have they worked together before?" the first asked with a frown.  
  
He shrugged, shifting his stance so that his body left him more open to move towards the center again as it felt like the ground beneath his feet was coming to a stop. He felt almost weightless and it sent a thrill through his system. "They're family, Cryo. Even if they haven't on the field, they'll work well together now."  
  
The ground started to fall.  
  
The two before him reacted to the change in direction with a hint of panic but he just turned his head as two shadows overtook him. "Get Cryo and Hermes," he directed calmly. "Make sure they'll be in fighting order when this ride stops."  
  
"What of you?" Luran asked, feet barely brushing the ground.  
  
He gave a sharp grin. "I'll be fine. It's not like we haven't been in this situation before."  
  
Solaris laughed, joining them with the duo clinging to him for support. "Certainly not to this magnitude."  
  
Luran walked over and took Cryo from Solaris. Both of his brothers look at him, expressions professional, determined, and barely concealing their worry. "You gonna be alright, Laris?" Solaris asked, answering the question he hadn't had the chance to ask.  
  
He nodded. "Get them to safety. I'll go punch Kyor in the face."  
  
Solaris kicked off as Luran grinned. "Don't go taking all the fun for yourself."  
  
He laughed. "I'll try to leave you something but I make no promises."  
  
Luran nodded. "Stay safe, Laris."  
  
"You too, Lunar. Watch each other's back for me."  
  
"Always."  
  
He turned as Luran's wings spread wide and started for the center of the mass where the one he had thrown was still fighting against Kyor - the same person he and his brothers had caught sight of before the others had joined them. Thankfully the one he had thrown had assistance because Kyor was kicking all of their asses.  
  
He wasn't sure if it was just good timing or if someone had seen him but as he leapt to join the fray – arm back ready to punch Kyor in the face – the bodies between him and his target hid him from sight before abruptly moving, giving him the opening to follow through and actually land the hit.  
  
Kyor's head snapped to the side and the ground quaked as some of the villain's control fractured. He reached back to have another swing but Kyor retaliated faster than he anticipated and he turned his punch into a block against the chuck of earth that tried to collide with his face.  
  
He spun with the force of it and transferred it all into a kick. Kyor's shin met his and the pain was fleeting as Kyor countered with being the one with a better stance to do so.  
  
Quickly and ferociously, they threw attacks at each other with as much power as they had in a chaotic dance on that falling chunk of earth. He knew they were running out of time but as long as he kept Kyor from lifting everything into the air again, then it was enough.  
  
He heard the first of the chunk of earth hit the unrelenting ground and he ducked under Kyor's attack in order to throw them both into the air. He had to trust the others had gotten off safely, if not at least out of harm's way. The entire things fractured and broke apart, shattering as Kyor lost hold of the massive piece of earth. His desperate leap didn't stop their downward motion but it countered it enough that there wasn't recoil from the chunk of earth, no injuries sustained from the landing beyond what Kyor dealt him. He twisted, forcing Kyor to hit a piece of earth that had shifted so that the flat surface was more of a hall now than the ground they had just been fighting on.  
  
Kyor coughed from the force and he couldn't help but admit the landing hurt. The villain beneath him didn't seem to care, recovering quickly enough to try and kick him. He pinned the other down, one leg tangled around Kyor's to force the other's weight onto the knee he had pressed into the makeshift wall between the villain's legs. He managed to get both of Kyor's hands pinned with one hand and Polaris used his free arm to put pressure on the villain's throat.  
  
"Enough," he spat.  
  
Kyor scoffed. "Oh please. It's not like there's anything you can do to stop me, _Laris_."  
  
It felt like Kyor had reached into his chest and gave his heart a good squeeze as those blue eyes glared at him with the fury of a **black hole sun** \- and if that wasn’t a thing, he was certain Kyor would invent it if need be. Kyor was egging him on and he didn't - _couldn't_ \- react to it now. He added a bit more pressure, wondering where the others were at. He was going to get backup to make sure Kyor went into custody this time, right? "Trust me. I can try."  
  
He felt Kyor's hand flex with the grip on the other's wrists. It was the only warning he got before a massive, very solid piece of earth slammed into his back. It shoved him into Kyor but did nothing to free the villain. Polaris tightened his grip on the other's wrists threateningly, growling as he put his full body weight on the other's throat. "Do that again and you'll probably break your own neck with my arm."  
  
Kyor's eyes flashed at the challenge and Polaris braced for another attack.  
  
This time the attack came from the right. If he had been standing any other way, Kyor would have knocked him free. Instead, all the villain did was scrape and bruise Polaris's right side, which inclued the arm pressed against Kyor's throat. It pushed him into the villain and he felt the other's hot breath against his neck. But he could still feel Kyor's arms flexing and before he could get back upright, another chuck of earth slammed into him from the left.  
  
Attack after attack slammed into him and a few slammed into his head so hard, he wasn't sure if it had made him black out for a few seconds or if it was just all happening too fast for him to keep up.  
  
" _Yemnal_."  
  
The attacks stopped.  
  
He wasn't sure when they had stopped but they had stopped. It took far too long for him to focus back in on where he was at, what he was doing, as it felt his entire body had been thrown down the side of a stupidly tall mountain. As he started to recenter himself, he became aware of the fact that he was pressed up against Kyor, head nestled on the other's shoulder where blood was making skin contact tacky. He wanted to push away, to put distance between them, but it seemed too much.  
  
There were arms wrapped around him anyways. It wasn't like Kyor was completely pinned anymore.  
  
"What did you call me?" the other demanded, breathless. He frowned even as just one blink seemed to take longer than normal. Fingers scrapped at his back as he felt Kyor shift under him but it wasn't in an attempt to dislodge him. Why wasn't Kyor taking this chance to flee? Kyor shook him, agitating a number of wounds. "What did you call me."  
  
His slip of the tongue came back in a hazy sort of way. "Yemnal."  
  
He found himself on the ground. It seemed that Kyor finally threw him off.  
  
"Why did you call me that?" the other demanded.  
  
He couldn't tell if it was due to the head injuries he had sustained or if it sounded like Kyor was actually scared of the answer. "A slip of the tongue," he offered in what he could coherently create as honest.  
  
The fur at his chest was fisted and he was yanked upward. He hissed in pain as Kyor brought their faces together and it was all he could do to get one eye cracked open. "That's not good enough!" Kyor barked. "Why did you call me that!"  
  
Confusion pulled at him as his vision swam. Where was he again? And why did the other look so....so worried? "Because that's your name," he ground out. Why was he in so much pain? Was Yemnal pissed at him and had taken it out on him during their spar? "Yemnal, what's going on? Why are you mad at me?"  
  
The ground was unforgiving when he hit it again and he couldn't help the grunt that escaped him. He couldn't find the strength to push himself up enough to look for Yemnal. "Damn," he hissed. He took a shaky breath in, floating through the pain enough to open his eyes. He couldn't focus on how his body was laying without getting swallowed by the pain but he was glad that his head was at least angled skyward. White, puffy clouds drifted by lazily beyond the haze of dust.  
  
"How do you know that name?"  
  
He frowned at the heavens, not understanding the quaking of the other's voice. He wanted to move, to look at Yemnal's face, but even the thought of moving caused pain to shoot up his spine. He tried to grin but he wasn't even sure if a smile made it onto his face. "What are you talking about? Of course I know your name. It would be rude to not know my partner's name."  
  
Silence.  
  
It lasted so long that he had let his eyes close and was contemplating sleep even as, at the edge of conscious thought, he wondered where Yemnal had gone.  
  
"Hey," that familiar, warm voice coaxed, a rough hand against his cheek. "Don't go to sleep."  
  
He let out a huff in a laugh but it caused him to start coughing.  
  
The pain was excruciating.  
  
When he finally came out of it, his breathing was shallow and every muscle spasm sent pain flashing through his body.  
  
"You can't sleep yet, Polaris," that familiar, warm voice cut through, shattering the darkness that had been overtaking him. "You've got to stay awake."  
  
"Yemnal?" he asked, the word coming out in a croak. It hurt his throat but his desire for answers pushed him through it. "What happened?"  
  
A breath of silence.  
  
"A mess of things," Yemnal answered, though there was an odd quake to the words. "But help's on the way. You'll be fine."  
  
He'll be fine? Wait, what had happened? What about Yemnal?  
  
He forced his eyes open but he wasn't able to make anything out. The world was nothing more than a kaleidoscope of colors. "What about you? Are you ok? Did you get hurt?"  
  
The desire to check Yemnal – to make sure the other was uninjured and safe – drove him to try and push himself up but his arm flared in pain and gave out under him. The cry was involuntary as he crumpled to the ground.  
  
Hands, shaking and careful, pressed against him as Yemnal urged, "I'm fine. Just a few bruises. You need immediate attention, though, so try and _stop moving_."  
  
He let out a shaky breath, grateful. "Ok," he ceded. "Ok," he sighed.  
  
Someone was shouting but he couldn't make out the words.  
  
He hoped the kid across the street who had a hidden _kuro_ like him would say yes to going to the river tomorrow. He felt so isolated and the other kid – his name was Yemnal, right? – looked just as lonely as he felt. Polaris hoped they could be friends.  
  
That would be nice. Then he wouldn't feel so lonely when his brothers hung out together without him.


	2. Movement of the sea

It was a burst of light as it entered the atmosphere, fire curling around it for the briefest of moments as what had collected against the hull was burned off in a burst of friction. The vessel itself wavered as it descended through the air far too quickly to be considered a controlled descent.  
  
It kept airborne for over half of the planet's diameter, going from where the sun's light had given way to night to where the sun's light had barely started chasing the night away. It was in this land of crisp morning that the vessel finally lost to the planet's gravity and hit the ground.  
  
The gouge created by the vessel started sharp before the vessel leveled out. By the time everything came to a stop, the gouge was several hundred miles long. and nearly a hundred feet deep. There was some debris littering the gouge but the vessel looked relatively unharmed. The sun crept across the sky and by the time there was any sign of movement from the vessel, the sun had burned off the chill of morning.  
  
A massive door opened slowly near the base of the vessel. Something shimmered in the space left by the retreating door. Beyond that shimmering something, beings stood waiting, watching. Some were battered, some looked exhausted, but all had a sort of apprehension to their expression. The one closest to the shimmering looked like they were holding the weight of the world on their shoulders as they waited for the door to clear from their line of sight and show them what was beyond.  
  
The door thudded to a stop and the shimmering dissipated. All in the room knew that the thing that had been shimmering was still there, though. Invisible as it may seem, the shields were still fully operational.  
  
"Captain?" The one standing at the opening looked to the one that had spoken. The person stepped forward. "Are we cleared?"  
  
The one responding to Captain took a step back from that invisible line. "Be careful out there, Ardolys, and be back in five hours, ship time."  
  
Ardolys nodded and started giving orders. It took a quarter of an hour of ship time for those that were going on the expedition to leave by either foot or vehicle. As the last of the walking group passed over the threshold, the massive door started to lower. The Captain watched all of it without much reaction. There was a deep rumble when the massive door closed completely and the echo filled the silence for a brief moment.  
  
"Mern, I'm counting on your team to keep a constant eye on their locations and communications," the Captain spoke out, turning away from the door. "Orns, with me."  
  
The Captain walked away from the massive door heading for the other side of the hangar. A body fell into step beside him and he didn't have to look to know that it was Orns. "Any reports come in while we sent the expedition teams off?"  
  
"No, Sir," Orns responded readily. "Though the med bay should be the closest to reporting if you would like to head there first."  
  
He nodded. "Head to engineering. I don't expect a final report but I want an update. I trust they'll alert the ship if we need to evacuate but I want to know if we need to make preparations. If the core explodes, we'll need to know what distance is considered safe and they should have that number by now."  
  
Orns gave a shallow bow and continued down the space as the Captain turned left, heading for a door that led back into the halls of the ship.  
  
Nothing had been seriously damaged to the point where immediate evacuation had been required. The landing hadn't been smooth and there was certainly hull damage, but the rest of the ship had stayed in tack, the core hadn't been damaged to the point of immediate explosion, and most injuries were relatively minor. With no major damage to vessel, the med bay was still completely operational and so those few that had been severely injured would be back on their feet in short order.  
  
He stepped into the med bay to find it quite the mess since most things not bolted down or locked away had been thrown about - his own quarters, personal and otherwise, were a sight to see; he didn't even realize he had that many items that could get thrown about in a crash - and other priorities had led to the mess remaining. He did notice a few personnel were cleaning up the far side of the med bay, though, so he took that as a good sign.  
  
"Captain." He looked towards the source and found the lead medic approaching. "Has the expedition teams left, then?"  
  
He nodded, taking a step back to open himself to the lead medic. "How are things here, Eru?"  
  
"Good," the lead medic responded with a flicker of surprise. "I've only had two out of the entire ship that cannot leave their beds for a few more hours."  
  
He let out a sigh as some of the weight on his shoulders left. "I'm glad. Anything else to report?"  
  
Eru's expression twisted as if the other was annoying or being an unnecessary challenge. "A number of our supplies were damaged or made useless in the crash despite the time he had to secure everything. We're working the matazens at full capacity right now to not only get back to full stock but to have a surplus should anything happen."  
  
"Good. When you start amassing the surplus, send it down to the hangar. I'll set orders out to start relocating things to the designated safe zone till we know more." He started to turn as Eru gave a half bow but stopped. "Vice," he spoke softly, gaining Eru's gaze again. He caught the glint of curiosity. "Don't get caught up in your work. I know Byre will be busy on the engineering team but you two need to check in with each other and your children. Especially now that the worse of it is over."  
  
Eru smiled at him, the gratitude clear in the expression. "I will, Sir. Don't worry." Eru turned partially away. "Just listen to your own advice, Captain. I'm sure Sasha would love to know you haven't gone and killed yourself with overworking again."  
  
He laughed. "I'm sure she will, too."  
  
Words said, he left the med bay. He found Eru's words sticking too hard for him to go directly to engineering. And it wasn't like going to go see Sasha was out of his way, necessarily.  
  
The halls were strangely quiet as he made his way through them. Despite the limited noise the engine and life support systems made, there had always been a low, soothing rumble of a tone that had always filled the halls that he only noticed in its absence and it made him a bit uneasy. He hoped that despite its presence, everything would be fine.  
  
The door opened for him as he approached it and suddenly the noise that had been trapped inside spilled out in a cacophony of sound. There were a number of adults, young adults, and older children in among the youngest members of his crew but it was the children that were making the most noise. There didn't seem any order to the chaos inside the space. While it wasn't massive compared to the hangar, the room itself was still four times the size of the largest conference room on the vessel and was probably the largest space to fall under the living space designation. While the space itself was massive, though, it had been broken up into different areas and small sub-rooms pocketed the depths of the space. The majority of the central space where he had entered into was the most occupied. Children were doing all sorts of crafts. He realized a few were trainings even geared for the younger minds. He caught sight of a familiar face that beamed at him before crossing through the throng of children.  
  
"What do you think?" the familiar face asked.  
  
"Training?" he questioned skeptically.  
  
The familiar face split into a grin. "Meshna's idea. She thought it would be good to start the children off on basic survival skills for their mental levels. Graven was all on board for it. Most are just being taught weaving, fire starting, and how to find or craft a temporary shelter. The higher levels are learning more of what is edible, what is not, how to find north and reallocate themselves with the location of the ship if they get lost, where we are on the map and whatnot. Krem wants to get directional trained in the lower levels too but other things have taken priority as we've done the buddy system."  
  
"You have enough emergency kits for each person here?"  
  
The familiar face softened at his concern. "Each child knows the ins and outs of those bags so well, they'll probably be dreaming about them for weeks." Their expression sobered immediately. "Captain, what is our status? Will we be able to stay in the ship and use it as our home or are we going to have to relocate? A lot of the people on this ship will not be happy with the latter, not when we have to rough it."  
  
He sighed. "Unfortunately I don't have an answer to that question just yet." He met that familiar gaze steadily. "When I find out, I'll send word. I want you to make sure all the children – even the older ones – make it off safely if things go wrong."  
  
"Of course, Captain."  
  
"Gee-pa! Gee-pa!" A little body collided with his leg and he exaggerated the severity of the collision quite extensively. Despite how big the little body had gotten, there still wasn't enough force behind the contact at his thigh to do much in the way of knocking him over, let alone shift his weight. He buried his fingers into the unruly reddish brown curls, gaining a grinning face. "You came! Adma was saying you wouldn't!"  
  
He gave the familiar face a flat look as the other shrugged. "I wasn't certain you would have time to stop by, regardless of if there would be orders to evacuate. I didn't want her waiting around for you to never show up."  
  
He reached down and picked the child up, commenting conspiratorially with the child, "It would seem your Adma has no faith in me at all." The child giggled as that head of curls pressed into his neck and shoulder. "Did you lose faith in me too, my sweet Sasha."  
  
"No," Sasha giggled, little hands clinging to him.  
  
He rubbed her back, content. "I'm glad." He focused back on that familiar face. "Where is Graven?"  
  
The other turned, pointing towards a head of hair identical to the one currently pressed against his throat. Graven looked completely content surrounded by a swarm of children all seeking praise of their weaving. It was endearing to see that Graven wasn't just praising every child; even from where they were standing, the Captain could see that Graven was walking a few children through how to make their weaves better and saw how the children took to it.  
  
"I know that species differences between sentients aren't normally talked about in order to respect the more private of the given species culture, but I am so glad that Graven's _imrentu_. It makes it far easier to work with children when all we have to do is put Graven before them and walk away."  
  
He looked to the familiar face beside him, catching the wistful, grateful look he had seen on a different face so many years ago. "You did good in your choice, even if your old man fought it tooth and nail."  
  
That familiar face broke out into a grin and for a moment, he saw a face he hadn't seen in years. "Ah, come on, Pop. You were just looking out for me after Ma died. And you had every right to be cautious." That familiar face turned away, focusing once more on Graven. "I was on a mission to help quell the dispute between the _imrentu_ and us. Getting caught up with one of them in the middle of that was incredibly dangerous for both of us for the same and completely different reasons." That gaze returned to him. "You had every right to be worried."  
  
He let out a heavy sigh. "But I should have trusted you. We lost so much time because of my stupidity."  
  
"Gee-pa, don't be sad." He looked down at the child still in his arms and couldn't help but smile at the serious look on her face. "Adma and Omna made me so that you can make up."  
  
He chuckled. Despite not understanding her thought process, he got what he hoped was her intent. "You are quite right about that. Now." He carefully put Sasha back onto her own two feet. "Why don't you go see your Omna while I talk with your Adma?"  
  
"Ok! Bye Gee-pa!" she shouted, racing off even as she waved goodbye.  
  
He watched her make it all the way to Graven's side, watch as the _imrentu_ seemed to gain more life at Sasha's presence, lifting her up and showering her with all the love of a devoted parent.  
  
"Pop?"  
  
"When the expedition teams come back, I want you, Graven, and Sasha to be the first to leave." The other shifted to face him but he kept his gaze on Graven and Sasha, watching that familiar face out of the corner of his eye as he explained, "I need you three to be safe, just in case something goes wrong. You and Graven are well equipped to be part of the first settlers if it gets that dire. I will join you when I am able to."  
  
"Pop."  
  
The word was choked, thick with too many words to speak at once. He fought against the instinct to close his eyes against the wave of sorrow but only half succeeded as his eyelids fluttered as he sucked in a breath. "Please, Kyle. I lost your mother. I can't lose you or yours, too."  
  
The room was full of the sound of excited children and adults that were clearly happy but were subdued by the weight of reality. He was glad the children weren't affected.  
  
"When the wind catches the sail just right," his son spoke, the words soft and familiar, "lean all your weight on the line so that you don't lose what you've just caught."  
  
"Ease up on the tension as the body of the ship changes direction till the stem of the ship is pointed true," he continued, his heart going out to all around him. He prayed they survived and thrived.  
  
"Don’t trust the sky for she may lie at times," Sasha spoke, voice aged as she remembered those that been there before her, those that had made sure they had all made it safe to their new world. She yanked on the rope but the sure hands of her daughter and grandson held most of the weight. "Tie the lead off when you've matched the **movement of the sea**."  
  
"For that will guide you more true than any stretch of air could till night brings the guiding stars," echoed among her daughter and grandson, the words echoing silently from the generations before. Sasha closed her eyes against the sea breeze as her family took control of the ship and wondered if her Gee-ma would have been proud of what had become of those that had chosen to remain planet side. She hoped that her Gee-ma was proud of Sasha and happy wherever souls went after death with Gee-pa, Adma, and Omna at her side.  
  
"Gee-ma!" She opened her eyes, catching sight of her grandson. He beamed at her, pointing towards the dimming horizon. "The Guiding Stars are back."  
  
She smiled, ruffling that head of earth toned curls that reminded her of her own Adma and Gee-pa. "Then let us set course. We do have to get back home eventually."  
  
That youthful face beamed up at her, joyous and free.


	3. Summer time

Noises bombarded him from every side - shouts of pain or cries of attacks, the constant crackling of fires no matter where he turned, the ring of metal against metal, the thunderous rumbles of stone walls collapsing - were drowned out by his pulse in his ears.  
  
 _"There's nothing more we can do."  
  
There was a strange heaviness to the silence and those within the room gave the speaker desperate looks. Whatever they were expecting never came to pass because despair quickly took over and they started to crumble inward.  
  
He shook his head, adamant as he countered, "There has to be something. We can't just accept this."  
  
"What else is there to do!" one of the old men barked. He met that old man's glare with a steady gaze. "You're a fool to believe there's anything left. We've lost, boy. Accept it."  
  
"No," he stated, standing firm. "I'll die a fool before I roll over just because we're out of ideas." His gaze returned to the original speaker. "There has to be something we can do to delay them long enough to let us regroup and try again. Please, Lord Nero. There has to be something."_  
  
A chunk of the floor above came down around him and his shoulder collided painfully with the stone wall as he dodged the flaming debris. Cursing, he kicked at a burning beam blocking his way. If he didn't free himself now, he'd be too late.  
  
If he wasn't already.  
  
 _"Father."  
  
He brought his gaze up from the fire he was staring at, watching as the daughter of Lord Nero closed the door. Lord Nero rose from his chair and crossed to meet her. Her hands sought his as he asked, "What is it, my dear?"  
  
"There was talk about not having a plan, of how everyone was going to die." Despite the unease in her words, her expression was hard, determined. "Is that true? Is there nothing more you can do?"  
  
Lord Nero shook his head. "We are almost out of resources and the numerous amounts of injured and dead that have dwindled our numbers. Unless I can convince others to join our cause, we will not survive another attempt."  
  
"What if I could get you the time?"_  
  
The beam finally gave and he stumbled over loose stone into the once again clear hallway. He took off at a run, his throat tight.  
  
He should have fought it. He should have figured out a different plan. This wasn't right. This wasn't fair!  
  
 _"I don't know if this will work."  
  
He glanced at her without turning his head, feigning interest in the celebration before them. The ballroom was packed with people and tables, the center floor that had been clear for people to dance packed with twirling bodies. There were so many colors from all of the gowns, it was like getting slapped in the face by a rainbow and then some. He wasn't sure how much longer he could refrain from doing something that would compromise their mission. "Say the word and I will take you right back to your father," he promised. He shifted forward, a smile on his face as he gave her a coy look. "But I would suggest at least giving him a chance to dance with you. He's been eyeing you all night."  
  
She sniffed in distaste. "He should have the balls to come ask me for a dance regardless of how hot my escort is."  
  
He laughed at that, a full, rich laugh that hadn't escaped him in a very long time. He grinned at her. "Come now, m'Lady. It is nothing if not rude to be biased like that. I am, after all, practically your brother. Saying such things would give others the wrong impression."  
  
She sniffed again but the gleam in her eyes told him he had been successful in shifting her mood. "I still think he could do better."  
  
He chuckled, glancing to the man - well, young man the same age as him, if he was not mistaken - they were speaking about and smiled. "It would seem he has finally gained those balls you so eloquently stated he needed to grow."  
  
Silence settled between them as the young man approached. He watched as the young man's eyes strayed from the young woman at his side to him a few times but gave his full attention to her when he approached.  
  
He watched them walk out onto the dance floor, a bitter taste in his mouth as loathing and disgust for that young man churned in his gut._  
  
He bodily slammed into the door and nearly lost his footing when it gave under his weight. The room was eerily empty considering that the whole ordeal started in that room. His gaze shot around the empty space looking for any signs of the ones he was looking for as his chest heaved with every gasp, feet never slowing.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Fear and relief were a toxic mix in his chest.  
  
 _"Abraxis, what are you doing?"  
  
He looked down from where he sat, book in hand. Standing below him was the young man. "Reading," he stated blandly, gesturing with the book to make a point.  
  
The young man huffed at him. "I can see that. Why are you reading up there?"  
  
He turned his attention to the surrounding branches. "Why not?" he asked back down. Barely a week in the young man's presence and he already wanted to strangle him. How was Emrynth tolerating him?  
  
Again, the young man huffed. "There are plenty of chairs down here."  
  
"But I would be disrupting you and Mistress Ryn's time together."  
  
The young man's expression became surprisingly emotionless. "Lady Ryn has retired to the castle."  
  
Like he needed to be told. She had signaled for him to stay put as she left. "And you're not following?"  
  
The young man looked away, clearly offended by being called out. "I was quite content with being in your company for the time being. Lady Ryn wanted her space and I'm in no hurry to deny her that."  
  
He slipped from his branch and made his way back down to the solid earth below. His landing was a soft, solid thud on both feet but the young man wouldn't look at him. "I am not the greatest company, Your Highness. I'm sure Mistress Ryn has tol-"  
  
"Use my name." He stopped talking, letting the young man before him continue with cheeks still pink. "When we're alone or with Lady Ryn, call me by my name."  
  
"Your Highness," he started but the other shook his head violently.  
  
"No. You're important to her," the young man snapped. There was a slight shift in the other's expression and the following words seemed stilted. "And if you are going to be around, it seems improper for you to remain so formal with me when you are less formal with her, especially in private settings."  
  
He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him and the indignant look that crossed the other's face was endearing. With a tight smile and a low, mocking bow, he offered, "As you wish, Prince Vanell."_  
  
There were a few castle guards in the hallway but the floor was littered with those from the castle and a faction he didn't recognize. He tried not to drown in despair as he kept running.  
  
 _"Hey, Van," he drawled, dropping the book on top of the Prince's head. "You were supposed to meet us in the garden. Lady Ryn said to tell you she has grown bored waiting and went horseback riding with your little brother instead."  
  
"Oh." Ice hit the pit of his stomach. "I hope they have fun."  
  
Something was wrong. Setting the book down, he leaned closer to try and catch the Prince's gaze. "Hey," he softly spoke. When that didn't work, he gently pressed the back of his fingers into the other's shoulder, withdrawing the touch when he gained the Prince's full attention. "What's wrong?" At a thought, he amended, "What happened?"  
  
Prince Vanell stared at him for a moment before looking away. "They're not expecting Father to make it to morning."  
  
He sucked in a breath, sharp and painful, and, for a fleeting moment, he couldn't remember why he had ever thought that Prince Vanell - still a bit spoiled but happily learning - was any sort of villain. It was clear in those tear filled eyes hollowed out by despair that the Prince was nothing like the image the kingdom saw. He pulled away as a familiar fury burned through him, hiding it from the Prince's eyes. All his rage was aimed at the current man sitting on the throne impersonating a dying King in order to keep the kingdom and other regions ignorant of the truth. And it was working. No one was questioning if the King was himself or not. Not when his twin brother looked and sounded just like him.  
  
He swallowed thickly and asking the stars for more time.  
  
"Why don't we go gather your brother and Lady Ryn and go spend the day with your father, then," he offered around a lump in his throat.  
  
There was a choked sob from the Prince's direction and it clenched at Abraxis's heart as tears sprung to his own eyes. He crossed back over to the Prince, placed a heavy hand on the other's shoulder, and quickly found his arms full of a sobbing Prince. He held on with all he had, begging the stars to just give them till summer, to let the King live till the spring days gave way to the summer's heat._  
  
A skirmish cropped up in his way and he ducked around a widely swung sword.  
  
 _"I'm sorry to interrupt, your Highness," he offered weakly. The Prince looked up from the book he had been reading softly out lout to the King and his little brother. The King's eyes were closed and the man's chest rose and fell as if in sleep. On the sleeping man's other side the Prince's younger brother by many years was curled into the King's side. His heart went out to both of them. "Lady Ryn was wondering if you would join her for dinner." Her stitching ring bounced off of his shoulder and he flinched, amending, "Ok, so I wanted to make sure you were going to eat dinner tonight and not waste away in a dark room."  
  
"I don't-" the Prince started with a hint of bite, but a wheezy voice cut in.  
  
"You are Abraxis, yes?" that wheezy voice asked._  
  
He tried getting through without facing off with anyone but he didn't get very far before he was forced to draw his sword in order to keep his head.  
  
 _His gaze went immediately to the King. The eyes blearily looking his way were the same color as the Prince's and just as vibrant even near Death's clutches. "Yes, Your Majesty," he responded with an awkward bow.  
  
"My sons speak highly of you and the Lady Ryn," the King explained, a smile pulling weakly at the man's face. "Vanell is quite taken by you."  
  
"Father!" Prince Vanell wailed, though his voice didn't get overly loud as he buried himself behind his book.  
  
The King chuckled, though it caused his breathing to rattle and wheeze. "Abraxis."_  
  
He gave a cry of frustration and rage as another soldier got in his way. Already he was delayed with the last four, he didn't need to deal with more. With a vicious swipe of his sword, he took out as many in his way as he could, pressing forward.  
  
 _"Yes, Your Majesty?"_  
  
He broke through the fight.  
  
 _"Watch over my two boys for me," the ill man croaked, voice weak at the edges as tears gathered at the corners of those tired eyes. "Help Vanell to be happy when he gains the throne."_  
  
He gave a strangled scream when more blocked his way.  
  
 _His throat closed at that. Was the King insinuating what he thought he was? He hadn't even humored the idea, let alone spoken about it with the Prince. Certainly Vanell and Emrynth were as in love as they appeared._  
  
He charged with every intent of slicing his way through.  
  
 _Right?_  
  
Someone or several someones came to his aid but he didn't take the time to check. He took the opening and ran.  
  
 _"Of course, Your Majesty."_  
  
The roar of his pulse obscured any noise sent his way anyways.  
  
 _Their laughter mingled in the air as they crashed to the grass. It was all he could do to stay awake, though, as both his gasping for air and laughter petered out. The spring winds were pleasantly warm, the sun equally so, and it made him even more drowsy than their sparring alone. A small part of him was aware that **summer time** was approaching, which meant that they were almost out of time.  
  
"Hey, Abraxis?"  
  
He hummed in acknowledgement, eyes closed as he tried to hang onto the moment.  
  
"Don't hate me, ok?"_  
  
He slammed bodily through another door, colliding with a number of bodies and hitting the ground with them.  
  
 _Unfamiliar lips pressed against his for a brief moment. He opened his eyes as Vanell pulled away but he didn't let the Prince go far. With a careful but swift hand, he burying his fingers in the other's hair. "I could never hate you," he urged honestly. "But what of Ryn?"_  
  
He brought his head around as the bodies under him tried to disentangle themselves from each other.  
  
His eyes found who he was looking for and screamed.  
  
 _Vanell's face turned scarlet and the Prince pressed his face into Abraxis's shoulder to hide it. "She's been trying to get me to actually speak up for months now. We've been pretending for my Uncle's sake."  
  
Something within him twisted. "Van, there's-"  
  
There was a shout from the castle and Abraxis's insides went cold._  
  
"Vanell!"  
  
The mass of bodies gave and he was at the Prince's side as Emrynth clashed swords with the Tyrant King. His shaking hands pressed on the Prince's wound gaining a strangled cry from the Prince. "You idiot," he choked out. "You were supposed to leave the fight to us!"  
  
Vanell coughed before managing, "Is Ryn alright?"  
  
"Of course she is," he snapped. "She knows to block a sword with a weapon, not her body."  
  
Vanell gave a huff of a laugh, several faint coughs chasing after it. "And my brother?"  
  
"Safe with your Father," he assured him but the tears still came and the sob choked him. This was all his fault.  
  
Vanell smiled weakly as he raised a bloody hand up to touch Abraxis's cheek. "I'm glad...I finally kissed you...before this."  
  
He gave a laugh but it was hollow. "Make it through this and you can kiss me all you want."  
  
Vanell's weak smile grew as the Prince's hand fell back to the floor and Abraxis begged the stars with all his being that Vanell would wake up after this.


End file.
